Hope you all have had a lovely Christmas! Ryan and I spent it in Colorado at Aaron and Katy’s house (Ryan’s brother and his wife). It was nice to see them and Ryan’s mom and sister since we hadn’t seen them since right before we moved to London. But, the best part I think for most of us, was getting to meet and play with Boden. He is so cute! He is smiley, good-natured, and wiggly. It was fun to see him do everything – roll over, squirm around, and even grab my hair. I did take a picture of other people besides Boden, but we’re all in our pajamas and I think there was general consensus that we didn’t want that photo public. 

We were lucky enough to have a white Christmas! It started snowing about halfway through the day and we got maybe 3-4 inches. It was really beautiful and at night Ryan, Tia (his sister) and I went for a walk to look at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. Colorado was also cool because we got to see a very different landscape compared to what we’re used to. Colorado has wide open plains and then beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains. It was a real treat.

Since it doesn’t get that cold in London and Ryan and I are non-nature-loving city slickers were weren’t totally prepared for the snow. Ryan had cloth sneakers and dress shoes. I had sneakers and leather boots without tread on the bottom. So, needless to say, we had to borrow boots from Aaron and Katy. I’m glad we did because the day after Christmas we took their dog Tarka on a 3 mile walk to the dog park. It was lovely to see all the snow and to be outside, but it was cold and our regular shoes could not have handled it. The dog park itself was pretty nice, and the picture at the top of this post is the view from the dog park.

In addition to getting to enjoy the outdoors, Aaron and Katy also took  us to enjoy some local restaurants and sites. On Saturday we had brunch with Katy’s parents at the Mercantile in Union Station. The food itself was really good but the service was so weird. You order at a counter in the front of the restaurant, then you sit down and wait for a text. When they text you, you walk 5 feet over to the kitchen window and pick up your food. They come around a little to check on you and see how you’re doing, but they don’t bring refills of drinks or anything. It was odd, but nice. I wish I had taken pictures of Union Station. It’s a train station and it’s been gorgeously redone on the inside. It has a hotel, restaurants, and it has a modern and old look that works for it.

After brunch we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was packed with families taking their kids of after Christmas. It’s a really good museum for kids because there are so many animals and skeletons and I thought most of the label texts were written with young audiences in mind. My favorite part of the exhibit was the section on wales. I learned that whales sound out their sound, then it bounces back, and vibrates into a fat deposit in their forehead. How cool is that? Throughout the museum there were a lot of diorama’s of animals in their “natural habitats.” It’s an old style of exhibitions, but I think it works. What was sort of funny was that every diorama had lots of animal poop – as if that will make me think it’s really authentic. Also, they had a snake on the floor (that was scary looking) and weighed 100 pounds. The sign next to it said it was modeled after a real snake and that with your friends you should see if you can pick it up. Ryan did all by himself, but it looked difficult.

Aaron and Katy also made sure to feed us lots of the American foods we’ve been missing. They took us to Highland Tap and Burger because Ryan had been craving a burger. Prior to this experience I had felt like burgers in London were perfectly good and that I wasn’t missing an American burger. And then I had one bite and everything changed. It was cooked medium-well, it was topped with a fried egg, and it was so juicy.I took a bite and sauce and juices oozed all down my hands. I fell in love. That bite was like snuggling with your favorite blanket. It was like the perfect first kiss. It was like putting on your favorite sweater. That one bite was so satisfying. I downed the rest so fast there wasn’t time to take a picture. I sort of wish I hadn’t had the burger because now I know what I’m missing.

They also took us to the Post to have fried chicken, waffles, and biscuits. My British colleagues keep telling me a biscuit is just like a scone, but it really isn’t. I don’t know how to explain it, but biscuits are more buttery and savory than scones. Even though Post is sort of a nice restaurant, the chicken came out in a bucket – which gave us that real American feel. We went home stuffed. My pictures of all this might not look so amazing, but it was. It was amazing I think for anyone, but all this food was even better after months of being away from it. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.

Sunday we had a low-key day. Katy and I spent most of the morning having some girl time. We went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for nachos (something else on our American food bucket list, and I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow). We took Tarka to the dog park, and then we went and got a pedicure. It was meant a lot to me to spend some quality time together and just hang out and chat. In the afternoon we all finished a puzzle then went to Ryan’s uncle’s house to watch the Broncos game.

Before we left, we got one more taste of American foods. For breakfast before our flight to Connecticut we had bagels with pumpkin spice cream cheese and coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. Oh America, you are wonderful.

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People, get ready for a little bit of bragging. Last weekend, Ryan and I went to Munich. Ya know, we just popped over to Germany for the weekend as people do. Sound fancy right? But seriously, my Titi Pascale and Uncle Willie were doing a holiday in Europe and asked Ryan and me if we wanted to meet them for part of it. My aunt told me about the Christmas markets and I was all,”we’ll be there.”

In booking the trip, I did have some travel craziness where I felt guilty about spending money on a two day trip. But, Ryan and I moved to London so we could easily travel around Europe, and we were going to see family so it was totally worth it. And let me tell you, Germany was just lovely. Below is a picture of the view as the plane was landing. In the background are mountains (although a bit hazy and hard to see), and then in the foreground perfectly manicured fields and villages. It was so beautiful!

Once we met up with my uncle and aunt, we hit the markets to do some eating. We ate with abandon. We had potato fritters with apple sauce and Titi Pascale had them with some delicious garlic sour cream. We had cookies. We had bratwurst sandwiches. We had beers. We had roasted almonds with Nutella – which were so good we bought a second pack to take with us on the train to the airport. They were so good I’m going to have to look up a recipe. We also had giant pretzels which were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Those were so good we took one on the plane and ate it on our layover in Copenhagen. And every single thing we ate was delicious. Even when we ate at the stand by the tourist-y ice rink, the food was perfection.

One of my favorite markets was Medieval themed. At this market I had a gargantuan glass of wine punch. I don’t totally know everything that was in it, but they poured wine out of the big jug, then splashed rum around on top, added a sugar cube, and then set the whole thing on fire. It was a huge cup and no one wanted to drink it with me (probably because it was so boozy), so I got a little tipsy given that I’d had the giant beer shortly before. I was a little shocked because the wine cost 15€ and I was all, “whoa… but I really want to try it.” But, when I returned the cup I got 10€ back, so then I was really please because I’d pay £5 for a regular glass of wine at a pub. All in all, felt like a good deal.

The city itself was really nice. We saw a man yodeling and we walked through a park and saw a beautiful waterfall and sunset. The whole weekend we had really nice weather. It was a perfect winter day with a nice crisp chill, but we could still have jackets open and hats off.

But what of the things I love most about Christmas time are the decorations. I love Christmas lights – and there were everywhere. They were on lamp posts, on windows, on buildings. The whole city felt really nice and festive. There was a store display window that was decorated in a woodland scene with lots of moving stuffed toys. It was pretty elaborate and cheery.

On Sunday we took the tram to Nymphenburg Palace. Side note, we found German people to be so nice. Someone helped us figure out the tram tickets, and earlier someone else gave us directions – both times unbidden. Anyway, Nymphenburg Palace was really beautiful. In front there is a lake with loads of ducks and swans. They swans were astounding! Really large, plush looking, with perfectly white feathers. We saw a women petting and feeding them. We were just waiting for her to get bitten – but it didn’t happen. The palace itself is an enormous complex.

Inside, was even more astounding. The main room where we entered was two stories tall, with gorgeous chandeliers, and an amazing painted ceiling. Throughout the whole place the ceilings had really detailed and elaborate paintings of mythological figures. Words can’t express how beautiful those paintings are. One, which I didn’t take a picture of, had such incredible perspective that it looked like the figure was standing on a cloud right above you, and that you were underneath her feet. We all stopped to look at one painting  that had a deer hunt (middle in photo below). This painting was huge, maybe 15 feet tall, but at the very bottom center is a large pack of dogs swimming after a fleeing deer. It was a cool painting showing a village and a hunt, but I thought it was curious that the main action was in such a tiny portion of the whole.

After we toured the palace, we checked out the carriages and sleighs exhibit. I didn’t have huge expectations, but I left blown away. The carriages were more ornate and beautiful than I have the ability to convey with words. There were nymphs holding torchs, there were geese squawking, there were gods blowing horns, and there we suns on hubcaps. Every since surface glittered and shone.

Some of the sleighs had built in ermine blankets and thick slippers for foot holds. These were truly amazing ways to show off the wealth and power of the monarchs. I felt bad for the poor horses who would have had to carry all this weight. One of the coolest sleighs (above) was of Hercules killing the Hydra. The hydra itself was made from one single hollowed out tree!

I left Munich glowing. I was well fed, I had seen some beautiful things, and I had spent some wonderful time with my family, and I was filled with the Christmas spirit. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it was true. I was sad to leave. I had so much fun with my family, and it was nice to be with people that I felt so comfortable with it. It was such a pleasure to just have some food and hang out. It made me more excited for when Ryan and I go back to the US next week! Anyway, Munich was delightful and now I want to drink a beer and make some soft pretzels, even though it won’t be the same, so I can hold on to this weekend feeling a little bit longer.

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Once upon a time, I got a text from my friend Charlotte. She suggested that I occasionally write posts about cooking disasters. I liked the idea, but didn’t think about it too much, because how often do I really ruin something so bad it burns to death, explodes, or sets off the fire alarm? No all the often. But then I made this gingerbread house and my meaning of disaster shifted.

I decided I want to make a gingerbread house from scratch back in October. I thought to myself, “it’ll be fun,” and also “you’ve been baking for awhile now, you can totally do this, and it will totally look great.” So, my confidence was strong that I could make something delicious (it was) and decent looking (it wasn’t). I chose a Mary Berry recipe, because I love her on the Great British Bake Off and I trust her recipes. This recipe makes a lot of cookie dough since the house is fairly tall. My first roadblock was that I started mixing the dry ingredients and realized I didn’t have enough ginger. Stupid rookie mistake. But then I went to the store, I made sure I had everything else and I started baking.

Foolishly, I decided to make this after work one day. Because it totally makes sense that after a long day on my feet talking to children, I really want to make an elaborate gingerbread house. Anyway, the cookie dough mixed together well enough and I divided it as the recipe suggested. The first ball of dough rolled out nicely and I cut out some shapes from the house’s template. It was hard to get it up and onto the parchment paper, but I managed. However, the subsequent balls of dough had started to dry out. The dough was getting flaky and crumbling off as I rolled it out with my rolling pin. I was getting so frustrated I started using my hands to flatten the dough and stick pieces together. You can see that this method led to lumps and wrinkles in the finished cookies (which I think also led to structural integrity issues later).

Finally I had the pieces cut out and they were baking in the oven. While they were baking I smashed apart some hard candies which were going to go in the windows of the house. It was like 8:30pm and I’m making a serious racket and the candies are barely breaking up. Ryan is looking at me like, “what are you murdering over there?” So I stopped smashing and just used whatever small bits I had. I pulled the cookies out of the oven, sprinkled the candies in the openings, and baked it some more. When they came out, the cookies looked nicely browned and the stars and windows had a lovely stained glass appearance.

However, I made yet another mistake. In taking out the tray I got the thumb of my oven mitt in one of the cookies and made a noticeable divot. Sigh . I was disappointed, but at this point my hope wasn’t lost that this house could still look amazing. I decided to let the cookies cool and I’d assemble them the next day. I was feeling frustrated and I knew I wouldn’t have a beautiful house if I was decorating with rage.

The arrow points to my thumb print of shame.

The next day, I removed the cookies from parchment paper. Some pieces came off easily. But the ones with the candies seemed to have fused with the parchment paper and I couldn’t get them off without breaking the candy. So instead of beautiful stained glass, I had broken windows. My house was going to look like a Christmas village that had been abandoned in the woods. I started to pout. And then a bottom corner under the window broke off. Pouting turned to melt down.

“The house is ruined!” I shouted.

“No,” said Ryan, “It’s just the back, it’ll be fine.”

Always the voice of reason, I decided to listen to Ryan and trudge on. I made the frosting and it was thick and fluffy and tasty. I iced the cake board and then started to assemble the walls of the house. I was following the instructions to the letter and I was feeling like it was coming together. I had 3 walls up, and was about to put on the back wall when one side wall fell over. UGH! The wall fell into the frosting on the cake board and now the house looked like it had snow up to the windows. I propped that wall back up, and then the other side wall fell over. Well at least it would be symmetrically messed up.

I started yelling at my house, about how it was hideous and ruined and terrible and wasn’t going to look nice at all. Now that I had put my thumb in the cookie, broken a wall, broken the windows, and had icing all over 50% of the the house I gave up hope. This was not going to be a beautiful magazine worthy gingerbread house. Now all I could do was cover it in sweets. I decided not to use a piping bag to decorate (why bother!) and I just used a knife, my fingers and some candies.

I also chose to give up on waiting. “Hey Ryan, it says I should let it dry over night and then put on the roof. Should I just put on the roof now anyway?” I asked.

And, I think, sensing my frustrating at this project that had already taken me two evenings, he said “yeah put the roof on.”  It all ready looked like an abandoned shack and waiting over night wasn’t going to fix that. So I used chopsticks as support beams – and Ryan said “real houses have support beams,” – and I placed the roof on top.

It actually looked kind of nice (from some angles). It is clearly homemade. It is not beautiful and won’t win any awards. It won’t get re-pinned on Pinterest or get picked up on BuzzFeed. But, I actually still felt proud of myself. I had made a gingerbread house entirely from scratch. So I took pictures of the house, warts and all, so I could share it. I took all the pictures I wanted, I put my camera down, then sat on the couch.

I sat down, and the house collapsed. I couldn’t help but laugh, and laugh hysterically, like Tom Hanks in the Money Pit (minute 2:18). This was not an ideal attempt at a gingerbread house. Stil, disaster might be a bit harsh as the cookies did taste really good. And it was house shaped for about 5 minutes. But, I learned that I like to bake so it tastes good and makes people happy. I’m not a baker who can make things beautiful, and that’s ok. So next time you feel bad that what you made doesn’t look like the picture, think of my gingerbread house and know you’re in good company.

If you’re still feeling brave and want to make your own gingerbread house I used this recipe from Mary Berry. It has a template which is nice. For other recipes, I’m really impressed by this recipe from Cavoletto. This recipe is for tiny houses that can hang on the edge of your mug of cocoa! I like it because it’s showing off a bit, but I also think smaller pieces might be easy to cut out and work with. I also like this recipe from Oh Sweet Day. Her decorations are lovely, but simple, and feel like I could actually replicate it. Finally, this haunted gingerbread house from Curry and Comfort is amazing and should just be looked at for enjoyment purposes.

Final point, is that this was SUPER messy. I mean 10 spoon messy and my scale only goes to 5 spoons. It was maximum messiness both days. I had mountains of dough flakes on the floor. I had icing on my face and hair. It was overwhelming and sort of impressive how big the mess was.

And if you are making a gingerbread house this year I want to hear about it and see it. Post about it in the comment below or send me pictures of your creations at cookingismessy@gmail.com. Good luck and happy holiday baking!

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So Ryan very kindly went to the store and got us a Christmas tree. It’s tiny, fits nicely in our apartment, and is exactly what I wanted. I love him (both Ryan and the tiny Christmas tree). I’m calling the tree R2Tree2, it’s embarrassing but I like the name. He is potted so he is actually alive which is nice. He’s also small and easy to fit through the door so when it does time to clean up, it shouldn’t result in as big a mess as we’ve had in Christmases past.

I know I should really get started on my own Christmas shopping, but instead I’ve decorated the tree, I’ve hung stockings, I’ve baked (but not constructed) a gingerbread house, and I’ve gathered present ideas online (AKA wasted time on Pinterest). During all that procrastination, I’ve found some cute kitchen stocking stuffers that I just have to share with you. So, I’ve made another gift list, and hopefully my procrastination can help you if you’re also a bit stuck with your shopping.

1. Cat Studio Dish Towels, $20 – These are really beautiful embroidered dish towels with images and designs of your favorite cities, states, and countries. They even have some holiday/Christmas themed ones. I have the one for Washington, DC and for the longest time I was worried about using it because I didn’t want to ruin it. But eventually I used it, got a giant chocolate stain on it, then washed it, and it was good as new. I think this is a really nice item to roll up for a stocking stuffer.

2. Fox Run Chicken Spoon Holder, $6. This is really cute and is also available in pig or rooster. Basically, this little kitchen friend clips to the side of your pot and then in the larger opening will grip your spoon. So, as you’re stirring or mixing you’ll have a nearby place to keep your spoon and won’t get any drips or puddles on your counter. I have one like this that’s just a metal hook, and it’s useful, but not nearly as charming.

3. Death Star Silicone Mold Ice Cube Tray 2-Pack , $8 – I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to share Star Wars related kitchen ware. This Death Star ice mold is hilarious, and apparently you can also use it to make ice cream or chocolate balls too. Also, I’m told large circular ice cubes are especially good for cocktails because they cool the drink, but melt slowly so they won’t water down your beverage.

4.Fred & Friends Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters, $7 – Christmas is a time when you make lots of cookies. Why not spice up the regular gingerbread men and Santa with some super awesome ninja kicks? They are fun and you can use them throughout the year too. If I were in the US, I know I would be buying this for many of my friends!

5. Vacu Vin Wine Saver Vacuum Wine Pump with 2 Stoppers, $10 – I bought this as a present for someone last year, and I totally regret not buying one for myself. This vacuum wine saver is meant to give you 1-3 more days on your wine which is so nice! Sometimes I just want a glass with dinner, but I don’t want to open a whole bottle and ruin it. This thing would do just the trick and doesn’t take up too much space in your drawer or your stocking.

Two weeks to Christmas friends! Hope your shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning, decorating, preparing is going well.

Disclaimer – Most of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Cooking is Messy receives a small percentage of the sale price. I’m suggesting these items because I have them or want them, and think they are really good gift ideas.

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Before we moved to London I made a list of places I wanted to visit in and around London. The top two things on my list were Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Harry Potter Studios. I visited the Globe on week 1, but it took me longer to get to see Harry Potter.

It took me awhile first because it’s expensive with an entrance fee of about £30. Second, I didn’t really want to go alone. Ryan is not a Harry Potter fan and said he would go with me if I really wanted him to. So, I knew  if he’d go and that there might be some moaning and my crazy enthusiasm wouldn’t be reciprocated. Then I thought, maybe I’ll just go by myself. I’m not opposed to doing things alone, but this is something where I wanted to go with someone who would get hyped up and nerd out with me. Thankfully, my friend Charlotte from work said she’d go with me. YAY!

We went last week and it was decorated for Christmas and overall really amazing! I love Harry Potter. Some of you might be rolling your eyes at me right now, but hold on a moment and hear me out. I was an English major in college. I love stories. And a good story should make you feel. It should make you feel happy, and angry, and sad, and hopeful, and invested. It should make you feel empathy for the characters. It should make you strategize about what you would do. It should make you disagree and sometimes also nod your head emphatically. It should connect to yourself and think about how you would react. It should transport you to another world and make you want to be a part of it. Harry Potter has done all of that for me. I have cheered for the characters, I’ve been angry at them, I’ve cried, I’ve been surprised.  It’s wonderful. It is a story that I love, and I only hope you have a story that makes you feel the same way.

And so it was wonderful to get to immerse myself in something I’ve spent so much time reading and watching and talking about. Harry Potter is also important to me because it’s such a big part of my relationship with my oldest friends. At the beginning of the tour we watched a short movie and when the opening music came on I had chills. I was transported back to high school and I remembered leaving school as soon as possible, skipping soccer practice, and getting in line at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore with my friends. That music brought me back to the excitement and anticipation we used to feel. Everything used to stop for Harry Potter, and I liked having that feeling again.

Anyway, I’m going to try not to gush too much more so I can let the photos speak for themselves. I saw the cupboard under the stairs which had a tiny pair of Harry’s original glasses. And then the next real set we saw was the great hall. It was amazing. The floor is real stone, the ceilings are high, and the long tables were set with a Christmas feast. What I was astounded by throughout the entire tour was the attention to detail. There are so many things that would have been seen only quickly, but help make the whole story feel real. I loved the giant wreaths, the stone animals on the wall, and the fireplaces.

Also, there were costumes and props throughout the whole place. They were just lovely. It really helped bring everything to life. Like, the Mirror of Erised. That was one of those things that made me go “oh yeah” because it was something I had forgotten. I also loved the wigs. I took way more pictures of the wigs than are shown, but Bellatrix’s was my favorite one.

My favorite set in the whole thing might have been Dumbledore’s office. I just wanted to say “sherbert lemon” or something else to gain entry. What I found so impressive, again, was the detail. There were so many books – which were UK phone books just bound in leather. And there were so many oil paintings (not pictured) and an artist had to paint all of them! I thought the pensieve looked like a baptismal font, but I still took a picture anyway. I think the pensieve would change the world if it was real. I tried to explain the podcast Serial to Charlotte, and I said that if the pensieve existed, it would solve that case. (A quick digression, download Serial, it’s awesome – and then you’ll get the reference and totally agree)

After Dumbledore’s office, I really liked the Gryffindor scenes. Who read the books and didn’t think about being in Gryffindor? I recently joined Pottermore.com, and I was sorted into Hufflepuff. I’m ok with that because I’m not brave like someone from Gryffindor. And Hufflepuffs have Cedric Diggory and are good with food and cooking, so a girl could do worse. But even so, who doesn’t dream of being in Gryffindor? I loved the Christmas jumpers (yeah I’m saying jumper instead of sweater). They sold them in the gift shop. If I had an R or and H name, I would have thought of buying it. The boys dorm was cool, but tiny. Apparently they used the same tiny set the whole series – even when the boys hit puberty and were too tall!

Snape’s office and all the potions were really cool. I would love it if making potions was a real thing. True story, when I was a kid I wanted to make a potion like a witch, so I mixed water and glitter and colored sand together to pretend. I think Snape’s story line is amazing. It’s one of the best twists of any story I’ve ever read. It’s amazing that you can hate a character for so long, them empathize with him, and then love him. One time my mom and I saw Alan Rickman in New York City and she exclaimed “that’s Snape!” Also, while we’re talking celebrities on my 5th day working at the Science Museum I saw Jason Isaacs (and he spoke to me). He played Lucius Malfoy.

While I was there I did try butterbeer. You can see me drinking it on the night bus. I feel mixed about it. It’s sort of like cream soda, but it has actual cream on top. It’s sort of nice, but also weird to have bubbly soda with a head of cream. I was really impressed by all the creatures I saw in the studio. I think it really helps the movies that there was a combination of CGI and real props, puppets, and robots. For me, when things are over CGI’ed then all I can think about is how it looks fake and computery (think Yoda in the new Star Wars). I can’t suspend my disbelief as well. I thought little Voldemort was scary and I also like Dobby’s head in the background. Also, I didn’t post a picture here, but did you know that sometime Hagrid was an animatronic head? In order to make him so tall, sometimes the body double wore an animatronic head that had MOVING EYES!

Have you read that JK Rowling says she thinks maybe Hermoine should have ended up with Harry? I do agree that maybe they would have been more compatible. But I like her with Ron for a number of reasons. First, in so many stories the hero gets everything. I like that sometimes Harry is annoying and feels alone and has a hard time. I think it is good for the story that Harry didn’t get the girl. I also think Ron getting all jealous and being an awkward blustering teenager was amazing and fits with his character. Harry wouldn’t have been jealous in the same way. And finally, Harry didn’t really have a family and was adopted into the Weasley’s. By ending up with Ginny he really gets to be part of their family. The set for their home was cool. Charlotte and I pressed buttons to make the knife chop, iron move, and knitting needles knit. Their family clock is the best though.

I took a lot of pictures of some of the tiny props too. I sort of want Hermione’s time turner as a regular piece of jewelry. You might be surprised to know, I did not go crazy in the gift shop. I just bought a mug and a chocolate frog. But, believe me I was tempted to buy snitches and a broomstick and all that. I did see a woman on the bus with a broomstick. Some child is going to have a happy Christmas.

Towards the end of the tour is Diagon Alley. I think that felt so special because there aren’t cute streets like that in the US. It was tiny, curvy, and cobble stoned. They had a little demonstration about snow and making the footprints when Harry was invisible. I loved Olivander’s. How bad do you want a wand to choose you? After Diagon Alley there were models and drawings and artwork of the sets and scenes. I have said it already, but the attention to detail is immense. People had to design, then carve, the triwizard cup! They had to create Hagrid’s house (photo I didn’t include). I mean there were artists, craftsman, architects, special effects people, designers, etc, etc etc. It was amazing and my description cannot do it justice. But the best object was the giant model of Hogwarts (pictured at the top). It was gorgeous and Charlotte and I agreed we just wanted to shrink down and be in the model.

There was obviously so much time, money, love, and attention that went into making the book a real world. It was overwhelming and outstanding and I kinda want to go back right now. Instead though, I reserved a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from the library, so I can start with the story all over again.

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When I first met Ryan, even before we were dating, I learned two fun facts about him. One, he’s a twin. And two, he’s from Hershey, PA. Then he immediately dispelled all myths about those two things. No, he can’t feel his twin’s pain. No, he can’t read his mind. No, it doesn’t always smell like chocolate in Hershey. No, he wasn’t given loads of chocolate when he graduated. (Side note: I didn’t ask those questions aloud, but Ryan’s always been able to read my mind so he must have known my thoughts even then.)

But, Ryan did have some special chocolate knowledge and he introduced me to Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries, and Almonds. I really like that chocolate bar, but I can’t always find it easily (and definitely can’t find it here in the UK). That bar is delicious, and this recipe for dark chocolate bark reminds me of that bar (but this is cheap and you can feel superior for DIY-ing it). For me, this is a wonderful treat because of the combination of flavors and textures. It’s sweet and bitter from the dark chocolate. It’s juicy and tart from the pomegranates. And it’s crunchy from the almonds.

It’s also a great recipe because during the Christmas season there are a lot of opportunities to make sweets – ya know for parties, gifts, and general snacking. This recipe is super easy. It has three ingredients and requires minimal cooking tools or ability. And the best part of it is, this recipe makes nice chocolate, even more amazing. But, please store it in the fridge! Too much handling and it will get a little melty and you’ll have chocolate on your hands. I know, what a burden, you might have to lick chocolate off of your hand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you’re not into dark chocolate or the toppings I used, you can adapt the bark to your tasted. You could add dried fruits, pretzels, other nuts, cornflakes. Seriously, I think whatever you want to pair with chocolate you can throw into bark. The only “special” equipment you need is a heat-proof bowl that you can put over a saucepan. I used a glass bowl.

This recipe was inspired by Give Recipe.

Messy level: Just two spoons! You only have three ingredients. And the method is just heating, mixing, and cooling. So easy, neat, and easy to impressive. The messiest part is breaking the chocolate because some of the toppings fall out

Pomegranate and Almond Dark Chocolate Bark

 

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Ingredients

• 240g/8oz dark chocolate (about 1.5 bars from the baking section)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ¼ cup almonds

Instructions

1. Line a packing sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop the almonds, set aside.
3. Roughly chop the chocolate. Don't get too worried about this. You just want the chocolate in small-ish pieces so they will melt quickly and evenly. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
4. Put about 1" of water in a small saucepan. Place the heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Is the bottom of the bowl touching the water? If so, remove some water. Set the bowl aside.
5. Heat the water until simmering, then put the bowl back on top of the saucepan. The water as it simmers and boils will melt the chocolate!
6. Stir the chocolate to help along the melting.
7. Once it's completely melted, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the saucepan.
8. Let the chocolate come to room temperature. Then, once it's cooled to room temperature, mix in half of the pomegranate seeds.
9. Pour the chocolate and pomegranates over the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or spatula to spread the chocolate out to your desired thickness.
10. Sprinkle the remaining pomegranates and chopped almonds over the top of the chocolate. Poke the toppings in at different angles to give a nice look.
11. Put the baking sheet in the fridge and cool for 2 hours, or until hard enough to break into random sharp pieces.

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Warning: This post is a little sappy.

This recipe for cinnamon glazed sweet potatoes, simply called “yams” in my family, is one of my Mom’s signature holiday recipes. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can always count on my mom to make an apple pie and this recipe. Sure, she can makes other things too, but those are staples. It’s a really nice dish. It’s sweet, and a lovely hybrid between baked and mashed potatoes. But, to be honest, it’s not my favorite Thanksgiving food, but it is my brother’s favorite. Eric’s Thanksgiving plate is usually 50% baked ham and 50% yams. He loves this stuff. And so today’s post is dedicated to him.

I’ve been thinking about Eric a bunch recently. It started at work the other day. I was playing on a piano thing with a little boy and his mom. All of a sudden, this slightly taller little girl (who turned out to be his sister) ran up to him, semi-violently grabbed his face, kissed him on the cheek, then ran away. Mom was very touched. I thought it was hilarious. And the boy was completely unfazed. It was that somewhat violent and tender moment that made me think of Eric.

See, he doesn’t mind if I squash him

It made me think of Eric because although he has been bigger and stronger than me for over ten years, he still lets me be the big dog. He lets me poke him, tickle him, squash him, tease him, and put my cold hands on his neck – and he is unbothered by all of it. Like that little boy, Eric accepts all my pestering and understands that it is meant to show affection. I’m lucky that Eric and I get along so well. We have a really similar sense of humor, sometimes he says exactly what I’m thinking, and of course he lets me pretend I’m the dominant sibling.

I’m excited about Thanksgiving in London, but I’ll miss my family and Eric most of all (sorry guys). So, even though this recipe isn’t my favorite it will be part of our Thanksgiving meal so my brother can be with me in spirit.

Messy level: Two spoons. This is really straightforward in terms of prep – peel and cut sweet potatoes, make some glaze, pour on potatoes, bake. Easy and not messy.

Cinnamon Glazed Sweet Potatoes

 

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Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Author: My Mom

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium sweet potatoes
• 4 oz butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into circles that are 1.5-2" thick.
3. Place prepared sweet potatoes in a large tray - like a 9x13" pan with sides would be good.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
5. Once the butter is melted, add in the water, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
6. Stir until sugar is dissolved, everything is well mixed. Heat until just about boiling.
7. Taste. Add more cinnamon or nutmeg if you like.
8. Pour the glaze over your prepared sweet potatoes.
9. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Every 45-60 minutes, gently turn the potatoes and spoon sauce over them. Don't be too aggressive here or you'll turn this into mashed sweet potatoes.
10. Once the potatoes are soft remove the aluminium foil. Place back in the oven for 30-45 minutes more. It is ready when the liquid has begun to thicken and evaporate, and the potatoes are nicely coated.
11. Serve and spoon a little glaze from the pan over it before eating!

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I love gingerbread so much that over the summer I found gingerbread lip balm, bought it, and then saved using it until last week. Ya know, so I’d only use it “in season.” I also love a good gingerbread latte. Look how cute this one is from Costa Coffee! Ryan said the gingerbread man looks so happy, but he doesn’t know he’s about to be submerged in hot liquid. And of course gingerbread cookies for Christmas. This year, I want to try and make a gingerbread house from scratch. However, as much as I love gingerbread, I’d never had it in a bready-cakey form. Obviously, that had to be remedied so I made a gingerbread cake.

If you haven’t had gingerbread cake before, please try this recipe. It is so moist, even four or five days after making it. The batter is actually pretty liquidy when finished, so that probably contributes to its moistness. The best part though is that this cake is jam packed with flavor. It has Guinness (or whatever stout you prefer) and for me, that gives it “chocolate notes” without it actually having chocolate. I know that might sound like the pretentious sort of thing you say about wine, but there are flavors in the cake that remind me of the richness of chocolate. I also think the Guinness adds just a slight edge of bitterness, which is nice because it keeps the cake from being too sweet (which most holiday cakes are).

But, a lot of the flavor comes from the fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and pepper. I love this combination of flavors. It is warming, intense on my taste buds, and makes me feel like holiday cheer is nearby. This cake has real presence. This is not a cake you absentmindedly scarf down, and later can’t recall what it tastes like, but all you know is that your teeth are coated in sugar. This cake is different. This cake says hey, I’m here, step into Christmas. This is the cake that is so full of character and quality that you only need a small piece to feel happy, satisfied, and full of holiday spirit. Warning: If you serve this at a party, let people know what it is so they don’t expect a brownie and then end up with an unexpected (but awesome) flavor shock.

I recommend serving it with a cloud of whipped cream because the light sweetness helps mellow out the cake. Or, better yet. Cozy up on the couch with a blanket, your favorite movie, and a cup of herbal tea. I don’t think you could have a more relaxing and pleasant afternoon.

I got this recipe from KCET, a California TV station, but originally it comes from America’s Test Kitchen.

Messy level: Three spoons. For the batter you need a sauce pan, two bowls, and the baking pan. It’s a lot of dishes! Also, molasses is always messy and buttering and flouring a pan can lead to spills. It’s not a daunting mess – you won’t have a ruined counter or apron, but it’s definitely not a one bowl cake.

Gingerbread Cake

 

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Ingredients

• ¾ cup Guiness (or stout of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup molasses
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• powdered sugar (optional for dusting)
• whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended, for a side)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350/180°.
2. Butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
3. In a medium sauce pan, bring Guiness to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
4. When it's come to a boil, remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The Guiness will foam up. When the foam stops, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. It might like dissolved, but stir a bit more, I found the molasses deceiving.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
6. Pour the stout mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, and grated ginger into the stout mixture. (You can do this all in the sauce pan if you want, but I don't want you scratching your pan)
7. Take wet mixture and whisk it into flour mixture in thirds. Each time you add, stir until completely smooth before adding more.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and the top should be a bit firm.
9. Cool cake in pan.
10. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using. Then cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if using.

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